Wednesday,February 19, 2003

Speaker :All capable of spiritual growth

By Marsha Tan

There will be no spiritual growth if there is no peace and happiness within an individual, said Divine Life Society general secretary Swami Jivanmuktanandaji Maharaj.

"The human mind has wisdom, rationality and also the capability to attain the highest spiritual growth which can remove surrounding negative factors.

"This spirituality comes from within the individual and not from the outside, just as the power to change and to be complete lies within spirit," said Jivan, who is from Rishikesh, India.

Jivan was addressing some 150 members, devotees and guests in his talk "Spiritual Development in the Individual for Peace and Progress in the New Millennium", held at the Jotic auditorium in Johor Baru recently.

In his two-our talk, he told listeners that every human being has the power to experience spiritual growth regardless of background and status.

"It does not matter if you are not a genius, a scientist or a prominent figure in society as we are all human beings, with the same capability to attain the highest spiritual growth.

"However most people are not able to grow in the spirit because they are exposed to disturbances and conflicts from within themselves and also from their surroundings.

"Therefore, concentration and focus are crucial to develop a pure mind, blocking out any obstacles," he said.

Jivan challenged the audience to find their inner spiritual force to develop a more stable and balanced life style, especially in the "battlefield of the new millennium", where there might be possibilities of war.

He said the daily challenges in life could be overcome if one meditated and focused on spiritual growth.

* Extract from newspaper